Celtic FC have confirmed the signing of Nigerian international Kelechi Iheanacho on a one-year deal, with the club holding an option for a further year. The move is subject to international clearance.
The 28-year-old forward broke through at Manchester City, collecting a League Cup winner’s medal in 2016 before moving to Leicester City, where he made over 200 appearances and lifted the FA Cup under Brendan Rodgers in 2021. After a brief stint in Spain with Sevilla and a loan spell at Middlesbrough last season, Iheanacho now arrives in Glasgow.
Internationally, the striker has almost 60 caps for Nigeria and was part of the Super Eagles side that finished runners-up at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Speaking to Celticfc.com Rodgers, who knows the player well from their time together at Leicester, welcomed the move:
“I know Kelechi so well and what he can bring to the team. He is such a talented player, with great ability, athleticism and work-rate. I am sure he will love being at Celtic and I believe our fans will love what he brings. He has great experience and he is right in his peak years so he can be a great signing for us. I am sure he will make a big contribution to the team.”
While the manager is clearly pleased, the timing and context of the deal are impossible to ignore. Celtic spent the final days of the transfer window scrambling for a striker after failing to land top targets. Kasper Dolberg slipped away to Ajax, David Datro Fofana chose saying in London over Glasgow, and other avenues collapsed as the deadline passed.
That left Celtic turning to the free-agent market, where Iheanacho’s availability presented an opportunity Rodgers was quick to take. For supporters, though, the deal feels like the definition of last resort. After a summer of bold promises, Celtic enter the Europa League campaign without a marquee forward addition and with growing unease over the club’s ambition.
We hope the striker can be a solid addition, but the narrative surrounding his arrival reflects a wider frustration: the champions have left themselves scrambling rather than planning, and fans are questioning how the recruitment strategy has allowed things to reach this point.
For now, Rodgers has a striker — and Iheanacho has a chance to quickly win over a support base desperate for answers as much as goals.
We’re assuming he has made it in the door for the Europa League squad which was due to be handed in at 11pm this evening.
